Friday, February 6, 2015

Holidays and Observances for Feb 6 2015

Bubble Gum Day

On Bubble Gum Day, everyone who donates 50¢ or more gets to chew gum at school, with proceeds going to any charity the school chooses. Kids have fun, while raising money for a good cause. Some creative teachers even incorporate bubble gum into their lessons for the day.

Started in 2006 by children’s book author Ruth Spiro, Bubble Gum Day has become a sweet success. “I have two kids, and it seemed they were always participating in school fundraisers that required them to sell things like wrapping paper and candy,” says Spiro. “Bubble Gum Day offers schools a fun way to raise money, without kids having to sell stuff. I thought it would be cool to have lots of kids all chewing gum and raising money on the same day, which is why I created the holiday.”

In past years, schools have raised funds to purchase snack foods for Marines serving in Iraq, animals through Heifer International, books for Reading is Fundamental, and more. Any meaningful cause can be the recipient of Bubble Gum Day funds. The celebration isn't limited to schools – many libraries, community centers, and even businesses hold bubble gum events for their customers and employees.

Recently, French filmmakers traveled to Chicago to interview Ms. Spiro and see her in action with students at a suburban elementary school. Spiro is featured in the documentary “Stuck on Chew,” discussing Americans’ love of bubble gum and how she managed to integrate it into the elementary school curriculum, at least on one special day.

Canadian Maple Syrup Day

Canadians have long celebrated the gift of rich maple syrup, but we do not have a definitive "holiday" for this activity. Maple syrup "festivals" occur in late March to early April around the country, and an American Maple Syrup Day is observed in December each year.

In 2010, it was decided that Canada needed a special day to mark the beginning of the syrup rising in the maple trees. Although the maple may be running at full speed closer to the beginning of spring, it's those first few drops of syrup that appear in early February that are worth celebrating. And therefore, the first Canadian Maple Syrup Day was observed on February 6th, 2010.

Canada's symbol is the Maple Leaf, so maple trees and maple syrup has always been near and dear to our Canadian hearts. Maple Syrup Day provides us with an opportunity to discuss the rich Canadian history of Maple Syrup tapping and to celebrate the life sustaining resources that abound in our beautiful land.

At the opposite time of year from July 1st, Maple Syrup Day on February 6th gives Canadians a chance to celebrate their pride in Canada at a time when Canada's winter is at its height. What better way to celebrate a day of skating, skiing, or building snow forts than to reflect on our proud history?

Unlike most other holidays, Maple Syrup Day is not a day for commercialization with plastic decorations, or burdensome gift giving. Maple syrup day is about celebrating the natural gift of maple syrup, a spark of hope in the coldness of winter.

Yes, you can celebrate Maple Syrup Day by supporting Canadian maple syrup harvesters. But you could also tap maple syrup yourself!

Maple Syrup Day is meant to be a holiday which makes us more aware of the gifts of nature, and this means not polluting our beautiful land with wasteful commodities and unneeded trinkets. Get back to nature by exploring the rich taste of PURE maple syrup, rather than "table syrup" which is mostly corn syrup. Or discover the beauty of winter, by exploring the outdoors and hiking through the forest among the trees that provide for us all year long.

February is a time that is typically associated with Valentine's Day. While celebrating love and relationships is a joyful and happy time for many people, it also leaves a lot of people out. Some Canadian provinces also observe Family Day later in the month, but this holiday can also stigmatize people based on their lifestyles. Indeed, single people living alone can find February very frustrating!

Maple Syrup Day is the holiday that is different. Maple Syrup Day is not a regional holiday, as maple syrup can be harvested from coast to coast, in just about every province. Anyone can celebrate Maple Syrup Day on February 6th, no matter your age, location, religion, or lifestyle. It's even a Vegan friendly holiday!

Early February is a tradition time to celebrate winter. Many ancient Pagan festivals, such as Imbolc and Candlemass celebrated the returning of the light and winter foods. Later, these holidays became associated with the Christian feast of St. Bridget. In addition, Groundhog's Day celebrates the hope that spring will return.

Maple Syrup Day also takes place between two minor religious holidays in Judaism and Christianity. The Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat takes place shortly before Maple Syrup Day. Tu B'Shevat is the New Year of the Trees in Judaism, and is observed through eating nuts and berries from trees, or planting new trees. Meanwhile, the Catholic holiday of Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday takes place shortly after Maple Syrup Day. Pancake Tuesday is the day many Catholics cook pancakes before the fast of Lent.

What better time of year for Maple Syrup Day than after the New Year of the Trees and before Pancake Tuesday? That is why Maple Syrup Day is celebrated on February 6th.

You can celebrate Maple Syrup Day anyway you like! Here's some ideas:

Cook with pure Canadian maple syrup. Make pancakes, waffles, or french toast for breakfast. Roast potatoes, yams, carrots or squash in maple syrup for supper, or use maple syrup as a glaze on hams, or as a marinade on salmon. You can also make maple syrup cookies, maple syrup ice cream, or maple syrup liqueurs.

Learn about the history of Canadian maple syrup harvesting. Visit a local sugar bush, or attend a winter festival with an interpretative booth about maple syrup tapping (Ottawa's Winterlude has an interactive maple syrup station every year!). Read a book about Canadian maple syrup history, or find a blog that teaches you about the history.

Go for a walk outside and explore the beauty that maple trees provide for us even in the winter. Enjoy outdoor winter activities and make the most of the season.

And much more! How do you want to celebrate Maple Syrup Day on February 6th?

Give Kids a Smile Day

Give Kids a Smile Day 2015 Date - 6th February (Every year celebrates on 1st Friday in February)

Give Kids a Smile Day was started by American Dental Association. It was the nation’s first and largest approach to help children that belong to low income families with their dental needs and also to draw attention to the problems that many families face when they are trying to access basic dental care. Give Kids a Smile Day takes place in every state and it is celebrated on every first Friday of the February of every year.

Give Kids a Smile Day is a unique program that has been successfully executed each year and is yielding great results because of the generosity of the people who are being part of this charity program and awareness effort. Though it does not get that much attention which is required when compared to other health programs of children and these untreated dental disease become a big problem.

To help this silent epidemic a special event is organized every year during National Children’s Dental Month in the month of February which is called Give Kids a Smile Day.

Give Kids a Smile Day: On this day a free oral health care service is provided to thousands of low income children who are unable to access the basic needs of dental care across the world and also the participating dentists and other organization helps children as how to keep their teeth health and clean. These instructions include:

The first day held for Children’s Dental Health Association was observed by American Dental Association on 8th February 1949; later the single day celebration was turned into a week’s event in 1955 and in 1981 this program was extended to a month celebration known as National Children’s Dental Health Month. And one day this month is celebrated as Give Kids a Smile day.

The observance of the same has been growing day by day and year by year and has been taken place of nationwide program. It has reached millions of people in different communities and countries and has a numerous armed service base everywhere. Though the official event of Give Kids a Smile Day is for a single day the dental access to care program goes far beyond a day. Dentist knows very well that charity is not a healthcare system but still they get involved in this noble cause and are providing care to those who cannot afford it and they are not doing it for just a day or a month it has been going around all the year.

Give Kids a Smile Day program enhances and promotes the oral health care of large number of needy children. Its activities also highlight some ongoing challenges that the families are generally facing with regard to their dental health care. Give Kids a Smile Day can be successfully conducted in any month and any day of the year; all you need to do is take up the challenge for the success of the same.

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

The International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation is a United Nations (UN) campaign held on February 6 to stop genital mutilation to girls and women.

Various activities and events are held on February 6 each year to promote the UN’s campaign to raise awareness and educate people about the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Public conferences and forums often feature FGM survivors who are invited to share their personal experiences. Other activities include photo essays and round-table discussions on making policies and laws to end FGM.

About 120 to 140 million women have been subject to FGM and 3 million girls are at risk each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). FGM relates to all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. This practice is an abuse of human rights and causes serious health complications, including fatal bleeding.

The UN first officially commemorated the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation on February 6, 2003. It continues to fight against FGM through a range of activities in addition to the observance.

Lame Duck Day

Lame Duck Day is celebrated on February 6th of each year in remembrance of the Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The amendment reduced the amount of time between Election Day and the beginning of Presidential, Vice Presidential and Congressional terms. Originally, the terms of the President, the Vice President and the in-coming elected Congress began on March 4, four months after the elections were held. While this lapse was a practical necessity at the end of the 18th century, when any newly-elected official might require several months to put his affairs in order and then undertake an arduous journey from his home to the national capital, it eventually had the effect of impeding the functioning of government in the modern age.

From the early 19th century onward, it also meant that the lame duck Congress and/or Presidential administration could, as in the case of the Congress, convene or fail to convene; in the case of the administration, to act or to fail to act, or to meet significant national crises in a timely manner. Each institution could do this on the theory that at best, a lame duck Congress or administration had neither the time nor the mandate to tackle problems. Where as the incoming administration or Congress would have both the time, and a fresh electoral mandate, to examine and address the problems that the nation faced. These problems very likely would have been at the center of the debate of the just completed election cycle.

This dilemma was seen most notably in 1861 and 1933, as Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt (plus the newly elected Members of Congress from the political party of each of these Presidents) had to wait four months before they, and the incoming-Congresses, could deal with the secession of Southern states and the Great Depression respectively.

Originally, under Article I, Section 4, Clause 2, the Congress was required to convene at least once each year in December. That requirement created a mandatory lame duck session following each federal election.

The amendment was ratified on January 23, 1933. Section 5 delayed Sections 1 and 2 taking effect until October 15, 1933. This delay resulted in the first meeting of the 73rd Congress, along with the inauguration of President Roosevelt and Vice President John Nance Garner, taking place on March 4, 1933.

On February 15, 1933, 23 days after this amendment was ratified, President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt was the target of an unsuccessful assassination attempt by Giuseppe Zangara. If the attempt had been successful then, pursuant to Section 3, John Nance Garner would have been sworn in as President on March 4, 1933.

The first Congressional terms to begin under Section 1 were those of the 74th Congress, on January 3, 1935. The first Presidential and Vice Presidential terms to begin under Section 1 were those of President Roosevelt and Vice President Garner, on January 20, 1937.

Because of this amendment, if the Electoral College fails to resolve who will be the President or Vice President, the newly elected Congress, as opposed to the outgoing one, would choose who would occupy the unresolved office or offices.

MONOPOLY The Board Game

MONOPOLY, the board game, went on sale in stores on February 6, 1935. For 80 years, dogs, thimbles, cannons, irons and cars have been making their way through Atlantic City by the roll of the dice. (Wasn't I always the hat?)

The history of the board game Monopoly can be traced back to the early 20th century. The earliest known version of Monopoly, known as The Landlord's Game, was designed by an American, Elizabeth Magie, and first patented in 1904 but existed as early as 1902. Magie, a follower of Henry George, originally intended The Landlord's Game to illustrate the economic consequences of Ricardo's Law of Economic rent and the Georgist concept of a single tax on land value. A series of board games were developed from 1906 through the 1930s that involved the buying and selling of land and the development of that land. By 1933, a board game had been created much like the version of Monopoly sold by Parker Brothers and its related companies through the rest of the 20th century, and into the 21st. Several people, mostly in the Midwestern United States and near the East Coast, contributed to the game's design and evolution.

By the 1970s, the idea that the game had been created solely by Charles Darrow had become popular folklore; it was printed in the game's instructions for many years, in a 1974 book devoted to Monopoly, and was cited in a general book about toys even as recently as 2007. Even a guide to family games published for Reader's Digest in 2003 only gave credit to Darrow and Elizabeth Magie, erroneously stating that Magie's original game was created in the 1800s, and not acknowledging any of the game's development between Magie's creation of the game, and the eventual publication by Parker Brothers.

Also in the 1970s, Professor Ralph Anspach, who had himself published a board game intended to illustrate the principles of both monopolies and trust busting, fought Parker Brothers and its then parent company, General Mills, over the copyright and trademarks of the Monopoly board game. Through the research of Anspach and others, much of the early history of the game was "rediscovered" and entered into official United States court records. Because of the lengthy court process, including appeals, the legal status of Parker Brothers' copyright and trademarks on the game was not settled until 1985. The game's name remains a registered trademark of Parker Brothers, as do its specific design elements; other elements of the game are still protected under copyright law. At the conclusion of the court case, the game's logo and graphic design elements became part of a larger Monopoly brand, licensed by Parker Brothers' parent companies onto a variety of items through the present day. Despite the "rediscovery" of the board game's early history in the 1970s and 1980s, and several books and journal articles on the subject, Hasbro (Parker Brothers' current parent company) did not acknowledge any of the game's history before Charles Darrow on its official Monopoly website as recently as June 2012. Nor did Hasbro acknowledge anyone other than Darrow in materials published or sponsored by them, at least as recently as 2009.

International tournaments, first held in the early 1970s, continue to the present, although the last national tournaments and world championship were held in 2009. Starting in 1985, a new generation of spin-off board games and card games appeared on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1989, the first of many video game and computer game editions was published. Since 1994, many official variants of the game, based on locations other than Atlantic City, New Jersey(the official U.S. setting) or London (the official Commonwealth setting, excepting Canada), have been published by Hasbro or its licensees. In 2008, Hasbro permanently changed the color scheme and some of the gameplay of the standard U.S. Edition of the game to match the UK Edition, although the U.S. standard edition maintains the Atlantic City property names. Hasbro also modified the official logo to give the "Mr. Monopoly" character a 3-D computer-generated look, which has since been adopted by licensees USAopoly, Winning Moves and Winning Solutions. And Hasbro has also been including the Speed Die, introduced in 2006's Monopoly: The Mega Edition by Winning Moves Games, in versions produced directly by Hasbro (such as the 2009 Championship Edition).

National Chopsticks Day

February 6 is National Chopsticks Day.

We've discussed the story of the knife and fork, but there’s another set of utensils used by billions of people around the world—and it has a truly ancient past. The Chinese have been wielding chopsticks since at least 1200 B.C., and by A.D. 500 the slender batons had swept the Asian continent from Vietnam to Japan. From their humble beginnings as cooking utensils to paper-wrapped bamboo sets at the sushi counter, there’s more to chopsticks than meets the eye.

The fabled ruins of Yin, in Henan province, provided not only the earliest examples of Chinese writing but also the first known chopsticks—bronze sets found in tombs at the site. Capable of reaching deep into boiling pots of water or oil, early chopsticks were used mainly for cooking. It wasn’t until A.D. 400 that people began eating with the utensils. This happened when a population boom across China sapped resources and forced cooks to develop cost-saving habits. They began chopping food into smaller pieces that required less cooking fuel—and happened to be perfect for the tweezers-like grip of chopsticks.

As food became bite-sized, knives became more or less obsolete. Their decline—and chopsticks’ ascent—also came courtesy of Confucius. As a vegetarian, he believed that sharp utensils at the dinner table would remind eaters of the slaughterhouse. He also thought that knives’ sharp points evoked violence and warfare, killing the happy, contended mood that should reign during meals. Thanks in part to his teachings, chopstick use quickly became widespread throughout Asia.

Different cultures adopted different chopstick styles. Perhaps in a nod to Confucius, Chinese chopsticks featured a blunt rather than pointed end. In Japan, chopsticks were 8 inches long for men and 7 inches long for women. In 1878 the Japanese became the first to create the now-ubiquitous disposable set, typically made of bamboo or wood. Wealthy diners could eat with ivory, jade, coral, brass or agate versions, while the most privileged used silver sets. It was believed that the silver would corrode and turn black if it came into contact with poisoned food.

Throughout history, chopsticks have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with another staple of Asian cuisine: rice. Naturally, eating with chopsticks lends itself to some types of food more than others. At first glance, you'd think that rice wouldn’t make the cut, but in Asia most rice is of the short- or medium-grain variety. The starches in these rices create a cooked product that is gummy and clumpy, unlike the fluffy and distinct grains of Western long-grain rice. As chopsticks come together to lift steaming bundles of sticky rice, it’s a match made in heaven.

National Girl Scout Cookie Day

Girl Scout Cookies don't just taste good—they help educate young girls about business and financial literacy. Here’s how a holiday for the beloved cookies spread the word.

You would be hard pressed to find someone in the United States who doesn't like Girl Scout Cookies.

The beloved Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, and other favorites bring in $790 million in sales each year.

But while Americans love and anticipate cookie season, few consider that the cookie program teaches young girls important lessons about business and financial literacy, and is the largest girl-led business in the world.

To inform the public about the importance of the cookie program and its role in educating girls, the Girl Scouts of the USA declared Feb. 8 National Girl Scout Cookie Day.

For its work in planning, promoting, and launching National Girl Scout Cookie Day—the first nationwide Girl Scout Cookie media initiative in the organization’s 100-year history—CRT/tanaka wins first place in the Best Event PR category of PR Daily’s 2013 Nonprofit PR Awards.

The goal of National Girl Scout Cookie Day was to celebrate the five skills girls develop through the cookie program—goal setting, decision making, money management, business ethics, and people skills—and encourage people nationwide to join in the fun.

The best way to tell the public about these skills was to have the Girl Scouts themselves show them off. CRT/tanaka organized several Girl Scout Cookie pop-up shops in high-traffic areas around New York City where girls from local councils sold cookies and reported, via social media, about the skills cookie-selling teaches them.

CRT/tanaka also arranged a partnership with Sweetery NYC, Zagat’s No. 1 rated food truck, to create a co-branded truck with Girl Scouts on board that sold even more cookies throughout the city.

Media received a “save the date” prior to the event so they could plan to attend and interview the Scouts. Apart from interviews with Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Anna Maria Chávez, the girls served as their own spokespeople.

The New York Girl Scouts sold more than $18,000 worth of cookies on National Girl Scout Cookie Day, and landed national broadcast segments on “The Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda,” “Fox & Friends Morning Show,” “CNN en Espanol,” and “Bloomberg Radio.” The Girl Scouts also earned print coverage in The New York Times, Gothamist, CNN Eatocracy, Huffington Post, and more.

The Cookie Day produced a 48 percent increase in mentions of Girl Scout Cookies in January and February 2013, and a 25 percent increase in Girl Scout mentions in the same time as compared to 2012.

National Wear Red Day

National Wear Red Day 2015 Date - 6th February

February is a month of heart & health awareness and to increase knowledge about the different heart disease with its prevention and treatment. The Go Red for women campaign was also started to raise awareness for such leading cause which has resulted death in women and which is yet unknown. The nationwide event of Go Red for Women or National Wear Red Day was initiated in 2002 on February 5 by the American Heart Association in order to raise awareness about women heart disease. Previously it had been thought that such diseases only effect men but we should be thankful to such initiative as now more and more of us are getting aware of the fact that it affect women as well and we should know how to fight back.

It has been researched that cardiovascular disease is at the no 1 position in the single killer of the women and has claimed more lives than anyone can think. The program of National Wear Red Day seeks to bring down the coronary disease and stroke by atleast 25 to 30 % and the only way to do is to raise awareness and empower women to improve the condition of their heart health so that they can live stronger and longer lives.

The method of raising awareness includes teaching women as how to talk to their doctors about such heart disease and giving a brief knowledge about the easy access to program of healthy eating & exercise. Also how they need to work more on the risk reduction such as no smoking or drinking, weight maintenance, blood pressure control and cholesterol management.

Wearing Red on February 5 draws attention to the causes of leading killers of women that is heart disease and stroke.

National Wear Red Day on February 6th is a day to recognize and pay honour to the women who have died from heart disease and also to build awareness and encourage all women to make a strong choice to achieve victory over heart disease. Nationwide everyone is encouraged to wear red on 6th February in order to support the fight against the heart disease.

In the past heart disease and heart attacks have been basically associated with men because women were considered to be an unspecific group and were largely ignored. Due to such reason the risk of this often preventable disease has suffered a lot. Thus, the National Wear Red Day movement has made sure that women must know about the risk of heart disease and accordingly they can take action to protect their health of their heart.

The National Wear Red Day also harnesses the energy, passion and power of women to band together and collectively wipe out the risks of having heart disease and heart attacks or stroke. It challenges them to work on such risks and also provides them with such tools that they may require to lead a healthy and normal life.

The strategy of the National Wear Red Day was to reduce the death and disability from various heart diseases and improve the condition of women as much as they can.

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About Me

I was born September 6th 1965 in New Smyrna Beach, FL then we moved around the east coast of the USA while my dad was in the Coast Guard. We finally settled in Pinellas Park, FL when I was 5 years old. After school I trained to be a hairstylist, which I was successful at, til I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis February of 2010.

I decided to move to Spartanburg, SC the February after 9/11 to be closer to my mom who moved there to be closer to her mom and better job opportunities. I didn't have any trouble finding a job, good hairstylist are needed everywhere. Exactly 8 years after moving to South Carolina I was diagnosed with aggressive MS.

One of the best things that happened to me moving to SC was meeting and eventually marrying my husband. We have been together for almost 6 years now. He has a strong soul, he was there through the long diagnosis process which came a month before our planned wedding, and he stayed by my side through all of it.